THE MADNESS MARCHES ON
Surprising storylines for the Sweet 16
1. BRACKETS BUSTED
It seemed like a perfect scenario for the NCAA — a regional at the world’s most famous arena (Madison Square Garden) featuring two heavyweights in No. 1 overall Villanova and No. 2 seed Duke.
Alas, brackets fell apart over the weekend when Villanova lost to No. 8 Wisconsin in Buffalo and Duke (whom many pegged as a No. 1 seed) fell to No. 7 South Carolina. Now, MSG gets the Gamecocks, Badgers, Florida and Baylor, so the bright lights of Broadway will shine on much lesser-known teams.
Meanwhile, ESPN reports just 18 out of 18.8 million brackets filled out on their website have every Sweet 16 team right. Duke and Villanova are responsible for millions of brackets gone wrong.
2. OH, CAROLINA
North Carolina is a clear hoops hotbed, with Duke-UNC likely the best rivalry in college basketball. But South Carolina?
The Gamecocks are off to the Sweet 16 (they’ll face Baylor) for the first time in the tournament’s current format (64 or 68 teams) after stunning Duke Sunday. The team features Woodbridge, Ont.’s Duane Notice as one of its key players. The senior guard averages 10.3 points per game and came up with 17 on 6-of-8 shooting against Duke.
3. ONE MORE STEP?
Is this the year Gonzaga finally makes it to the Final Four?
The perennial mid-major contender from Spokane, Wash., is considered a top threat again as a No. 1 seed. However, the Zags have been a bit inconsistent so far, holding off a late surge from Northwestern to win 79-73 in the second round two days after a slow start in a 20-point win over South Dakota State.
Gonzaga is making its 19th consecutive tournament appearance. During that stretch, it has been to the Sweet 16 eight times and the Elite Eight twice.
4. JUST DUCKY
Canada’s team has a legitimate shot to make a Final Four run. The No. 3-seeded Oregon Ducks, with three Canadians on the roster (though Montreal’s Chris Boucher is out for the season with a torn ACL), are through to the Sweet 16 and will tangle with No, 7 Michigan on Thursday night in Kansas City.
Mississauga’s Dillon Brooks is Oregon’s leading scorer, while Brampton’s Dylan Ennis is a key graduate transfer from Villanova. Another Canadian, Abu Kigab of St. Catharines, Ont., is expected to join the team next season.
5. WET AND WILD
The Michigan Wolverines had taken to dousing John Beilein with water after recent wins. So on Sunday, the team’s head coach came prepared with a Super Soaker, which he used to spray his players after the No. 7 seed’s upset over No. 2 Louisville.
The Wolverines haven’t lost since their plane slid off the runway when they were attempting to fly to the Big Ten tournament in Washington. It was a major scare, but the team avoided serious injuries. “Once we landed in D.C., we agreed that, ‘Why can’t this be the greatest story ever told?’” Michigan’s Zak Irvin said. “Everybody had that mentality (of ), ‘Why not us?’ ”
6. THE UNDERDOGS
Xavier is attempting to follow the Syracuse model from last year — go from bubble team in early March to the Final Four.
Xavier was on a six-game losing streak from February to early March, putting the Musketeers’ tourney hopes in jeopardy.
But it reeled off two wins at the Big East tournament to grab a No. 11 seed and has pulled off upsets of No. 6 Maryland and No. 3 Florida State in the Big Dance.
Now the Cincinnati school draws No. 2 Arizona, which just happens to be coached by former Xavier bench boss Sean Miller.
7. DRAFT BUZZ
Three players with a shot to be picked in the top five of this year’s NBA draft will be playing this week. UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball, Kansas small forward Josh Jackson and Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox will all take the floor in the Sweet 16. What’s more, Ball and Fox will go head to head in Memphis.
Jackson impressed at both ends of the floor Sunday in a win over Michigan State. TSN analyst Sam Mitchell, a former Raptors and Timberwolves coach, compared Jackson to former Minnesota top pick/ex-Jayhawk/ Canadian star Andrew Wiggins.
8. RUMOUR MILL
Steve Alford has guided UCLA to the Sweet 16 with his name in headlines for other reasons. There are reports Indiana may be looking to make the former Hoosiers star their next coach.
“I’ve already addressed that matter and I’m not going to address it anymore,” Alford said Sunday after the Bruins secured their third Sweet 16 appearance in four years.
9. CONFERENCE SHAKEUP
The Atlantic Coast Conference was earning raves as one of the best divisions in recent NCAA memory for much of the year. So much for that theory.
Of the nine ACC teams to earn berths in the tournament, just one — North Carolina — is still alive. The Southeastern Conference, better known for football, triples the ACC with three teams left. Also with three apiece are the Pac-12, Big 10 and Big 12.
10. HAPPY HOMECOMING
Kentucky coach John Calipari will coach in Memphis for the first time since he left that school in the Sweet 16. Calipari guided Memphis from 2000-09 before bolting for Kentucky. There are still some hard feelings in Tennessee, so it will be interesting to see the kind of reaction Calipari gets as Kentucky faces UCLA.
Once we landed in D.C., we agreed that, ‘Why can’t this be the greatest story ever told?’ Everybody has that mentality (of), ‘Why not us?’